Base of Operations
by AxleMC131
Summary: Wow, I need to write something other than White-eyed Nightmares... But I can't think of new characters... Wait, I've got a whole lotta OCs people sent in. Awesome! Let's write a steampunk-era story about an impossible war... OCS NO LONGER ACCEPTED! PLEASE STOP SENDING THEM IN!
1. The Recruit

**Right guys, this is a new story idea I've had around a (steampunk-era) military force that's just a rather nasty surprise at the perimeter. However, because this takes place outside of the Grounded Universe (see my current story White-eyed Nightmares), and I suck at creating new characters, I've decided that the entire cast of determined soldiers (and a couple of vicious bad guys) shall be OCs! Fill in the form below and submit it as a review, and once I have a reasonable amount to start, so I shall begin a brand new adventure! Please try to be sensible to the situation and period though, I'm not keen on having people running around with AK-47s or Star Trek Phasers in this. (It's also important to note that I have absolutely no idea of the plot for this. Once I have characters with backstories and the first chapter, I'll probably be able to plan ahead a bit further)**

**Hint: Plotline will probably involve airships. Don't judge me! I love Steampunk Airships! XD**

_- OC Form -_  
_COMPULSORY_  
_Name:_  
_Gender:_  
_Appearance (hair, face, clothes):_  
_Personality:_  
_OPTIONAL_  
_Backstory (including any dark secrets your character may have ;P ):_  
_Preferred weapon (reasonably Minecraft related please, but I'm flexible with things like cannons and crossbows):_  
_Preferred role (warrior, archer, bandit, etc.):_  
_Good or Evil (else I will choose):_

**OCS NO LONGER ACCEPTED! THIS IS KINDA REALLY IMPORTANT! NO MORE CHARACTERS PLEASE, ESPECIALLY NOT CHILDREN OF HEROBRINE!  
-**

**I'll probably get started once I have about four or five OCs. Have fun!**

**- AxleMC131**


	2. Response

**Wow, I've gotta say I'm seriously impressed with the feedback already! Thanks to Rodent2000XD (my sister), Shado-chan, TheYogscastSoarinbrine, theo d'arbois and Guest for submitting OCs. Give me some time and I think I'll write an introductory chapter with those five characters. They're all fantastic btw. :) Thank you all very much, and remember I'm still gonna need more. If you haven't, submit an OC of your own!**

**Right, so these are the first five characters summed into a few words:**

**Shado (the Enderhuman-hybrid warrior and mechanic)  
Ashie (the trusting but careless bandit)  
Theros (the spy with a dark past)  
Soarinrine (the spitting image of his father Herobrine)  
Spanners (the adaptable and skilled archer)**

**Thanks again to you guys, and I hope to see more soon!  
-AxleMC131**


	3. Response 2

_**Okay guys, I'm sorry but these characters are far too good for the situation I had in mind. XD So, screw the Steampunk military force idea. In reality I'm just struggling to connect the characters to that idea, because their backstories and traits all suggest other stories. So, you know what? I'm just gonna write. All I can promise you is that it will involve your characters, and it will *eventually* have a plotline. Time to go back and change the description...**_

_**Thanks again to all those who sent me OCs! I now have nine total I believe. I'll probably put them in small groups so it's easier to write about each of them without the chapters getting crowded.**_

_**- AxleMC131**_

* * *

**AMENDED**

**Well, after I posted the above response, I had a lot of bad attitudes to the idea of removing the Steampunk. So, as it happens, I'm gonna keep that going! Thanks to Shado-chan and mohammedbucheery for keeping me focused. ;P**

**Anyway, I have managed to write quite a bit to introduce the first few characters, so I'll divide that up and post them shortly as two or three chapters. Stay tuned!**

**(OC count - 15)**

**- AxleMC131**


	4. Ops 1

**A/N - IT'S FINALLY HERE! BASE OF OPERATIONS HAS BEGUN! I've decided the chapters will not have a minimum length for this story; rather, I'll upload small sections of each character's views. The story's in third person, but I'll be doing the whole jump between characters thing. In the same chapter this will just be the horizontal line thing, so that doesn't always mean time passing! It will most likely mean a change in character opinion.**

**Oh, by the way, it definitely has airships in it. In the first sentence even. ;P**

**To all the people who have sent me in OCs, thank you so much for your support in creating this story! I really hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing these first few bits.**

**- AxleMC131**

* * *

**One**

**SBA Outer Defence Unit 4B...  
**

Eyeing the brown and grey dots that stood out from the twilight sky, Spanners stepped up to the Gunner's seat and disengaged the safety on the multiblock construction, loading the charges that Soarinrine had placed in the barrel.

"Any likely targets?" Soarin asked from behind, meaning the group of enemy airships that had appeared on the horizon half an hour ago.

Spanners judged the distance to the oncoming vessels from her station beside the cannon housing. "Not as yet," she replied, "They're all still out of range for this girl I reckon."

'This girl' was a brand new, eight-block TNT cannon that had just been built. Spanners and Soarinrin weren't on an airship themselves, oh no. Not with a weapon this large at their disposal. No, the Omniworkz C-6 AA Flak cannon they were operating was built on solid ground just behind the bunker they were stationed at: SBA Outer Defense Unit 4B. It wasn't them two alone though; there was a squad of six soldiers stationed there. Spanners was second in command over the small group, being a highly intelligent and skilled archer. Henceforth, she had been given the job of targeting and firing the new 'girl'.

Soarinrine was Herobrine's son, but although similar in fighting style and appearance (save for the bushy moustache), he was actually a perfectly nice guy.

Soarin and Spanners had only met when they first joined the SkyBorne military, but they had become quite good friends, as well as with the others in their squad.

One of the other members of the group came out of the bunker, weiding a hatchet in one hand. Glancing at the sky, he stepped onto the raised platform and bowed to the two already there. "Evening Spanners, Soarin," he greeted them.

Soarin nodded. "Evening Theros. Come to watch the show?"

The soldier with the hatchet grinned. "Of course. What with you and your bow, Spanners at this 'ere new cannon... I say the Cloud Skimmer Army is in for a surprise."

Spanners laughed. "Fools, the lot of them. I wish I could see the looks on their faces when we fire the first salvo." She stroked the clean, new stone bricks that made up the cannon housing.

"How many ships we talking?" Theros asked, changing the subject and waving his hatchet at the approaching vessels. He narrowed his eyes against the fading light. "Four... Five vessels? My eyes aren't as far-seeing as you two..."

Soarin chuckled. "'S cos you don't use a bow." The white-eyed man fondled the bow on his back, a dangerously powerful composite weapon enchanted with Flame and Infinity.

Spanners gave him a mocking dirty look. "Hey, at least mine isn't OP!" she snickered, gesturing to her own hand carved longbow beside her. "I'm technically the better shot anyway, which is why I'm sitting here and you're standing there." She gave the men a wink and turned back to the airships. "You, Soarin, just aim in the general direction and let fire loose everywhere."

Herobrine's son shuffled his feet. "Hey, look at my father!"

Theros glanced back towards the airships. "Do we need to tell the others to get the Nightfly in the air?"

Spanners considered. "Ask Shado, but my opinion is don't launch her, but ready her. If they fly a pass, we could take off behind them, hit them from the rear."

The soldier nodded. "I'll go talk to Shado. But I'll tell her what you suggested."

"Thanks Theros," the second in command responded as he headed back to the bunker. 'Oh, and Theros?" she added quickly.

"Yeah?"

"Ask Commander Shado if we have permission to fire this girl at will. I think we have range..."


	5. Ops 2

**A/N - Hey guys, another chapter for you guys to read! Thanks to the great reviews I've already gotten for Chapter 1, and I hope you guys enjoy this one as much. Please keep reviewing!**

**- AxleMC131**

* * *

**Two**

Soarinrine was the first to act once Shado had given permission to fire. Taking his bow and fitting an arrow, he aimed at the nearest airship and let fly with a yell of "Tracer!"

The flaming arrow lanced through the sky, and fell a little short and right of the lead ship. 'Altitude, around forty, forty five blocks. Range, about sixty blocks and closing, slight wind from the east to counter for." Spanners did the math in her head as she had done most days of her whole life. Grabbing the big lever in front of her, she pulled it down and left, aiming the cannon at the centre of the formation. _It's just a very big bow, _she told herself with a smirk.

"Firing!" she yelled, and Soarin stepped back. Punching the big 'Fire' button, Spanners heard the six TNT charges ignite and drop into the water, and covered her ears.

Seconds later there was a huge bang , as a single piece of flashing TNT was spat from the mouth of the cannon directly towards the airships. The shot detonated nearest the rightmost ship, tearing holes in the balloon and hull. Spanners swore she saw a body drop from the vessel, but the wooden hull stayed aloft.

Pulling the massive cannon mount more left on its huge hinges, she gestured for Soarin to reload her.

Jumping up, her friend and comrade plucked seven blocks of TNT from his bag and laid them in a line down the barrel of the cannon. Once he was done, he gave the redstone a quick once-over, made a thumbs up sign to Spanners, then ran back to his observation point.

"Firing!"

* * *

Another bang, another shot. Theros heard from inside the bunker as the foolish SkyBorne warriors fired the new cannon at his true comrades. He had been a spy within the SkyBorne Alliance for a few years now, feeding the Cloud Skimmer Army vital information about SkyBorne strategies. He was annoyed he hadn't been able to get word to them about the TNT cannon; that would put a serious crimp on this assault that he had known about for days. But it had been constructed hastily only yesterday, and Theros hadn't had a chance. _Ah well, _he thought as he watched Shado, Ashie and Avernus preparing the unit's own airship. _I've got another plan..._

The unit's own vessel, named the Nightfly, was a pretty little frigate with a nasty bite. She was quick and nimble and sported no less than four guns on her wood and iron hull. The balloon was roughly egg-shaped, the point backwards making her look slower than she actually was. The two Fandel&Sons steam turbine engines at the back gave her the swiftness, and she was a very graceful little airship.

Typically three of the unit would crew her; Aver was typically the pilot, and a good one her was, while Theros and either Spanners or Soarin operated the guns. Tonight however, with the latter on the new cannon mount, Theros was going to be working next to Ashie aboard the Nightfly. Shado, as the commander of the unit, stayed behind and communicated to them through the wireless.

Sector 4, the area that the unit was assigned to defend, was a forest biome enclosed by huge mountains on either side. It covered a few hundred chunks, and seemed to be an easy pass through the range, but in fact there were more hills behind it that were difficult – if possible – to navigate by airship. The Cloud Skimmers only tried to take the base because it was a useful hold point, but so far they hadn't managed it.

In all reality the unit had it made. They had been stationed here only a few weeks but they had fought back everything the Cloud Skimmers had thrown at them so far. Granted, none of the fleets had been much bigger than this one, but still. For six soldiers with a single airship at their disposal, it was a great record.

The TNT cannon had been added only after the SkyBorne military received intelligence that a large force of Cloud Skimmer vessels was to be flying over Sector 4, to attack the nation from behind, but as it turned out only a few ships had come via 4B. Theros' fellow spies may or may not have spread that rumour to divert the military's forces from the real frontline... He snickered. Oh those poor SkyBorne soldiers...


	6. Ops 3

**A/N - I heard you guys wanted another chapter. ;P**

**Oh, and Shado-chan: In all honesty, Shado already knew about Theros being a spy from the start. Good guess in that review. XD**

**Read, enjoy and review!**

**- AxleMC131**

* * *

**Three**

Shado and Avernus were inspecting the Nightfly's engines when Theros walked down the ladder into the underground hangar. For an airship hangar it was small, but then so was the ship within it. The entire hangar was also completely invisible unless you were right on top of it, thanks to the surrounding foliage.

The spy wandered up to the two soldiers, stroking the polished wood of the Nightfly's lower hull as he passed her length. "Everything in working order?" Theros inquired.

Shado gave him a glance. "Ship's fine. You, Aver, Ashie, ready to fly, five minutes." She held up five fingers to emphasise the point.

Theros nodded. He walked up to the gangplank on the vessel's lower deck and climbed aboard.

Avernus looked to Shado. "Sure you don't want anymore help commander?"

The half enderman, half human girl shook her head. "Done."

Aver's red eyes stayed on her for a moment. "Very well Shado," he said, before dusting his hands off on his black clothes and following Theros into the ship.

Shado watched him go, having finished the routine inspection. She was a girl of few words, she knew that. It wasn't that she had difficulty speaking or anything, she just chose to be efficient with wording; never saying more than was absolutely necessary. She had joined the military only a year or two ago, but because of her skill as a swordsman and her intelligence when it came to strategy, she had risen quickly up the ranks.

Being half enderman was both a blessing and a curse. It gave her both strength and reflexes that most humans could only dream about, and although she never did so in public she could teleport small distances when she wished.

However, she was vulnerable to exposed water, and had to wear a special hydration device on her at all times. Handy with mechanics and gadgets, Shado had crafted the module herself, which covered her enderman-like left leg and right arm. This kept the enderman parts of her from rejecting the human part's water and causing her to become dangerously dehydrated.

There was onbe other thing though, that Shado kept from everyone. She was secretly the Queen of the Endermen, second in command herself after the Enderdragon. This was a secret she would take to her grave she hoped, as she had been exiled for siding with humans when the Cloud Skimmers first attacked, rather than ignoring it like the rest of her population had.

She sighed and made her way back around to the front of the airship, fingering the stone hilt in her sword belt. Being in the military was a good calling for Shado, having a very strategic mind. However due to resource shortages she couldn't use an Obsidian sword like she was used to. Instead, Shado had managed to aquire a stone sword enchanted with Sharpness and Unbreaking. This was a far cry from true Obsidian, but it was the weight of a weapon that allowed Shado to do a lot of damage. After all, she had the strength of an enderman, and stone was just as heavy as the black volcanic rock.

Standing now in front of the Nightfly, Shado heard Spanner's voice crackle through her wireless earpiece. "Commander Shado? We have some bad news..."

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure there's none left!?" Spanners cried again from the Gunner's seat of the now dormant TNT cannon. 'I mean, I thought we were supplied with over fifty rounds worth of ammunitions!"

'I know that!" Soarin replied angrily. "But I'm tlling you, the ammo box is empty! See for yourself." He held up the large wooden crate for Spanners to see; it was indeed devoid of any TNT.

"Gahhh!" the archer cried in frustration. "And we only managed to take down one of their airships..." She turned on her comm again. "Commander Shado, we might not be looking hard enough, but we think we've run out of rounds for the new cannon."

* * *

Preparing a forward gun in the lower foredeck, Theros heard this announcement echo from the commanders receiver, and snickered quietly. They had in fact been delivered the set amount along with the parts for the cannon, but Theros, in a last ditch attempt to get back at the sudden construction, had nicked one or two... Or a stack of TNT. They'd never find it. All he had to do now was make sure the Nightfly didn't leave the hangar, and his comrades would quickly overpower the tiny defence unit...

* * *

Shado stood still to think, then switched her channel to include everyone and spoke quickly. "Flight crew, get Nightfly in air ASAP. Three targets remain. Aver, fly high. Theros on fore guns, Ashie on broadsides." She paused. "Spanners, Soarin, go wild."

* * *

Soarin grinned. "Fantastic. I swear, that order is music to my ears every time." He pulled out his bow and began making for the nearest trees.

'Yeah yeah," Spanners replied with a slight grin of her own, readying her own bow and shutting down the cannon. 'Keep radio contact so we don't get lost."

Another reason Spanners and Soarinrine were great friends was that were both WildWalkers, a special division of the military for combating aerial assaults. They were all archers, and their goal was to act as a hidden defence against attacking airships, freerunning through any terrain and taking pot shots to keep the enemy crews busy.

The command 'go wild' was theirs and theirs alone to hurtle through the woods and fire at will at the incoming airships.

Spanners leaped off the cannon and made straight for the treeline, her survivalist instincts rising up within her. This was her true form. As she hit the treeline she heard the sound of a ship-mounted dispenser cannon fire from way above her. The battle had begun.


	7. Intermission and Important Notes

**Okay guys, I'd put this as an author's note, but it's a little too important for that. What I need to say will put fear into your very hearts, and make your mouths drop to the floor in shock...**

**I am now refusing OCs.**

**XD Nah, it should be fine, but I do honestly have ALMOST 20 CHARACTERS and I may not even use them all... Sorry if you don't get mentioned! Just remember though, the story is going to be quite long most likely, as there isn't a main plotline yet. There are ideas floating around, but y'know. Anyway, the point is that I have more than enough characters for the story, both good and bad, save for one...**

**After the story has gone on for a while, I may ask for some more characters to get involved. However, if this does happen there will be severe limitations to the characters you can submit.**

**Anyway, there is only one more character I want, and that is a character for the SkyBorne military General. None of the other characters I have so far work for that, so I'd like to request this character specially. If there are multiple submissions, I will choose the best one for the general, but any other good characters may get put in as his personal assistants etc... You never know. It all depends on how much I like your character. :)**

**As for all the characters I do have already, I will try my best to involve them at least a little in the story. I just need to say I have enough before I have to refuse individual people.**

**Phew. Got that off my chest. So, now that's over, on with the story!**

**- AxleMC131**

**PS: I should note at this point that most ideas in this story (and others) get run past my girlfriend Moohickyalah (check out her profile!). I'd like to tell you guys that she also suggests a lot of brilliant ideas herself, and the idea of Shado knowing about Theros for example, was entirely her idea. :) Thanks Moohicky!**


	8. Ops 4

**A/N - You guys want more? Here's more. And yes Spanners, the first battle has begun. ;P**

**Spanners: "Woo hoo! I guessed right!"**

***Hands Spanners a gold star* **

**Oh yeah! THat's something else I'm going to be doing. I'll ask you guys what you want to happen next. At the beginning of each chapter, I'll ask you guys what you wanna happen to a person or thing next or in future, and the best/most consistent ideas will probably become plot. ;D **

**This chapter: What do you want to happen to the Cloud Skimmer (enemy) airships? They will get destroyed whether you like it or not, and there will be no character deaths as yet except for them, but the ships are all going to get beaten by Nightfly. And remember Spanners and Soarinrine should have an input!**

**Basically the point of this story is to involve you readers as much as possible. Anyway, read and enjoy the next chapter, which is the final pre-written chapter. After this I will only be uploading chapters as I write them, so the gaps between chapters could be an hour or they could be a week. Sorry about that! I want to keep White-eyed Nightmares as my consistently updated chapter.**

**Read and review if you have an idea for the battle or enjoy the story!**

**- AxleMC131**

* * *

**Four**

Theros went aft to where the boiler that provided steam pressure for the Nightfly's two turbines – and everything else on board - was located. It was already stoked and running, the engines in neutral, but he was going to change that quickly. Opening the hatch to the firebox below the tank, he spilled a trail of coal in front of it. _The best way to set a ship on fire is to make it look like it set itself on fire. _Grabbing a wrench, Theros gripped the latch on the firebox and twisted the metal violently, making it seem as if the door had simply given way.

With an evil grin, the traitor climbed the ladder to the upper deck and joined Aver and Ashie, who were carrying out preflight tests at the helm.

A spark shot from the open firebox and sizzled on some coaly dust, before it sprang into light...

* * *

Shado smelled the smoke before anyone. The sense were another advantage to being part enderman; she could smell a fire a mile away. And this one, although small at the moment, was very near.

Her first thought was "Nightfly!"

Her second thought was "Theros..."

Being a master at keeping secrets herself, Shado knew when someone else was masking th truth as well. She had known Theros was a spy for a while now, and although she hadn't told anyone, she had enjoyed herself greatly feeding him false information or changing plans at the last second. In reality he was a fool that she only kept for enjoyment, but this time he had gone too far.

Running over to the fire bucket mounted on the far wall, Shado grabbed the bucket of water and ran it into the ship, taking great care not to splash any on herself.

* * *

At the helm, Avernus heard Shado through his headset. "Aver! Engine room, now!"

Avernus blinked his red eyes, then turned and swiftly strode down the length of the ship, with a quick "As you were," to Ashie and Theros as he passed. Shado sounded pretty frustrated, and he wasn't going to hesitate for her.

Avernus was a very righteous warrior, placed as a pilot because of his strength and reflexes, as well as his knowledge of the skies. His blood-red coat symbolised the sub nation he originated from, a small kingdom known as Etssima. He had fled to the SkyBorn military when a group of mysterious men came to his house one day trying to kidnap him and exploit his skills. He escaped and made his way to the SkyBorne Alliance for help. They accepted him instantly as a pilot.

Climbing down the ladder into the engine room, Aver smelled smoke and water, a recently put out fire? He glanced around the room and saw Shado holding an empty bucket next to the firebox. "The hatch gave way," she said simply. "I smelt it. Give me a hand?" The floor of the engine room was littered in soggy, smoking coals.

Aver's eyes widened. "Thank Notch you got here so quickly," he said, bowing slightly to his commander. "With the cannon out and the Nightfly ablaze, there'd be no chance for us." He glanced at the firebox door. "Hang on..."

Inspecting the latch, he spotted the telltale marks of an adjustable pipe wrench. "Hmm... I don't believe this was no mere accident. Commander-"

"Neither," Shado quickly replied. "I know who did this. Just get the Nightfly in the air, fast. Keep an eye on Theros," she finished with a hard stare.

Avernus held her gaze, understanding instantly. "Yes, commander. I'll take care of this mess." The pilot gestured to the bent latch and pulled his own wrench from his belt.

"Thank you." Shado left the engine room, a steely expression on her half-black, half-white face. "I'll deal with Theros."

* * *

Ashie read the pressure gauges and dials situated on a metal plate above the wheel. Theros had gone downstairs again to double-check the guns, and she was now alone preparing the airship for flight.

Not that she couldn't manage alone. She was a trainee under Avernus, and he had been for a month after she was posted to the unit. She was a little reckless to be brutally honest, acting instinctively and without regard for her or others' safety, but she had a good heart and never meant any harm. In reality she was also a little too trusting of people, but Aver had done well directing her. He was like a father to her.

Ashie turned to look above her as she pulled one particular lever, flicking her long black hair out of her pale face. The sound of escaping gas could be heard as the balloon above her filled with more hydrogen. She could feel the wooden hull behind her sway slightly as it rose up from the stone floor of the hangar, and strained against the ropes that bound the Nightfly to the earth. A grin appeared on her face. "Ha. Cloud Skimmers, face this!" She patted the polished, carved oak and balsa beside her.

"Ashie!" came a yell from behind her. She spun.

"Aver? We ready or what?"

She stood aside as the pilot sat in the chair before her and took the helm. "We're ready. Just a few issues aft, but they're sorted now. Up we go!" He gave his apprentice a wink.

Ashie saluted, then leaned over the railing. "Theros, Commander Shado! Let her go!"

Shado on the ground, and Theros on the lower deck, let loose the ties that held the Nightfly grounded. At the same time, Spanner's voice came through Aver's complex personal headset. "They're over us! If you're going to get her in the air, now's the time!"

With a grin Avernus turned to his apprentice again. "Take us up Ashie."

"Aye aye sir!" Ashie jumped over to a large lever and pulled it back, letting even more gas into the balloon and raising the airship up, up away from the hangar floor.

"Good hunting!" Shado yelled from the floor as they departed. The wooden hull receded away from her into the sky, and almost instantly her forward guns were blazing at the rear of the enemy.


	9. Ops 5

**A/N - Well, looks like we have another chapter, introducing TWO new character perspectives! And yes, Herobrine is a good guy in this story contrary to my others. ;P**

**Review if you like the story!**

* * *

**Five**

**SBA North Base HQ, Chief Commander's office...**

Notch massaged his forehead, clearly stressed by the news of the recent attacks. If only they knew where the Cloud Skimmer Army's headquarters was, they could launch a surprise attack and take them down. But ever since the war began, the airships had seemed to come out of nowhere, in all directions. The soldiers at war, the captains and commanders, the General of the SkyBorne Military... Nether, not even Notch himself could trace where they were striking from! And the airships seemed to be endless.

Leaning over the huge map laid out on the desk before him, Notch went back to updating fleet positions and defence units still standing. The SkyBorne Alliance territory covered dozens of biomes, and they were strong enough to fight back the Cloud Skimmers, definitely. What worried Notch was that they never stopped, never faltered. It was like they never ran out of airships or supplies to assault the SBA with. And they were slowly, slowly pushing the SkyBorne military back. Soon enough, they would cover the whole of the SBA, and until they could find where they all came from, they couldn't do anything about it but stand and fight for freedom.

The tiny carved models of airships and skitter planes, representing SBA fleets and task forces, shifted around the map as Notch corrected their positions to the most recent reports. He didn't touch them, he could simply will them to slide around the table, but the novelty of tiny model aircraft had worn off years ago. With a sigh, Notch read another line of the nearest report letter, then put his finger to an eastern defence unit. The model building's blue and white flag changed to a red one with a black skull on it; the Cloud Skimmers had taken another station.

The door flew open and a man in a cyan shirt and blue jeans burst into the room, carrying a diamond sword in one hand and a scroll of parchment in the other. His glowing white eyes fell upon Notch, who turned slowly around to face the newcomer.

"Ah, Hero, what news?" Notch said to his demi-god brother.

Herobrine gazed at the map over Notch's shoulder. "Unit 7-A was taken I see," he observed, focusing on the now-red flag of the model building. He shook his head and handed Notch the scroll. "The force we sent to reclaim Unit 2-F was successful in taking back the base, but they suffered heavy casualties. Half the force was decimated by the Cloud Skimmers."

Notch scanned the letter and nodded. "At least we have taken a foothold back." He leaned over to the opposite side of the map and touched a red flagged building, turning it back to blue. He rubbed his brow again. "That's one good thing this week. What news of the southern units in Sector 4? Did the artillery arrive safely?"

Herobrine nodded. "We received clear reports from Units 4A, B and D. Unit 4C is believed to have not received theirs yet due to the distance the convoy has to travel."

"What about the Cloud Skimmer fleets that were reported to be attacking from that direction?"

"That I cannot say, we have heard no word from any of the units so far, so we can assume that they either haven't arrived yet, or are small enough for the units to deal with alone."

The god looked thoughtful. "Well, knowing Commander Shado and the others, I would bet on the second." A slight smile crossed Notch's face. He suddenly turned to Herobrine. "Thank you Herobrine, you may return to your base. But tell Alisia I want to see her."

His brother kept a stony expression on his face. "Very well Notch. I will keep you updated." He turned and left the room.

Notch rested his chin atop his steepled fingers and gazed at the map of the SBA territory, awaiting the arrival of his and Herobrine's sister demi-god, Alisia.

* * *

**Somewhere in the woods around Sector 4...**

Wandering through the dimming forest, Opaline felt just as alone as always. It had been several years since she had woken up to a house full of dead bodies... Her entire family, parents and siblings, had been murdered while she slept. She could remember their faces clearly; her mother and father smiling at her as she played in the garden; her younger sister Thassa digging holes in the sandpit; her twin brother Jace splashing in the pool. She had been running along the grass chasing butterflies herself. Opaline had only been about eleven the night it happened. She had gone to sleep as per normal, in her upstairs bunk bed with Jace sleeping below her. Six year old Thassa was in her little cot in their parents' room. Her mother Chandra had kissed her and Jace goodnight, before blowing out the candle and closing the door. That was the last time Opaline had ever seen her family alive...

A tear came to her eye as she climbed over a tree root, the cast iron frying pan tied to her side clanking against the wood. She had woken up the following morning to silence. Normally she could hear her parents bustling about downstairs, and smell the sweet scent of bacon and eggs cooking. But that fateful morning, she had heard nothing, smelled nothing. She had climbed down the ladder to wake up Jace, and...

No. Opaline forced herself to stop. If she remembered anymore, she would break down and never move from the spot for crying so hard. She wiped her eyes and carried on pushing through the woods.

All she would allow herself to remember was that someone had murdered her entire family, leaving Opaline completely untouched. Had she been left alive deliberately, or had they simply overlooked the fact that there was another person asleep in that house?

The wanderer shook her head. Ever since that day she had made herself a promise: that she would find who had killed her family and have her revenge. But for six years now she had explored the wilderness, forcing herself to live of the land, and she had found no clues.

She focused on her feet. Now nearly eighteen, she had learned that twilight was the most dangerous time to be walking, as the eyes had not yet adjusted to the dark forest floor. It would be all too easy to trip on a root or fall down a sinkhole with your mind elsewhere.


	10. Ops 6

**A/N - Oh what the hell. Have all the chapters I've written today! Really hope you guys enjoy this little lead up to a realization. ;P Yay for connections!**

**Enjoy and review as always!**

* * *

**Six**

**North Base HQ...**

Alisia pushed her orange hair out of her face and opened the door into the office. "You sent for me Notch?"

The god turned to look at her. "Yes Alisia. What news on the East side?"

Alisia unravelled a scroll from the pocket of her hot pink trousers. "Not so positive I'm afraid... Defence Unit 2A was taken by the Cloud Skimmers, no survivors. On top of that, the supply convoy I sent to Etssima never arrived. I fear they were either ambushed or hijacked along the route."

Notch grunted. "Not good. What was that convoy carrying anyway?"

"Mostly food supplies. They were supposed to return to base with raw ores from the Etssima mines. We lost communication as they crossed Condor Pass, and we haven't heard from them since."

The god sighed. "More food supplies targetted... Perhaps they wish to starve us into surrender?" He glanced at his sister and shook his head. "Either way, that would be a long term strategy. We must deal with the present. I want you to send a recon fleet to Condor Pass and scout around for wreckage or any signs of a battle. If they do happen to find anything, have them report back to you immediately, then let me know."

With a grim nod, Alisia turned to leave.

"Oh, one more thing sister," Notch held her back.

* * *

**Sector 4 woods...**

Some while later, Opaline heard the sound of an explosion in the distance, followed by the crack of a dispenser cannon. That could only mean one thing: People. Throwing caution to the wind, she began to run through the trees in the direction of the bang. She flew over roots and fallen branches. She literally flew, letting her power lift her feet free from the ground. Her eyes – one yellow, one blue – focused on the path ahead, and she made good headway between the trunks. Now she could hear the sound of engines and propellers coming from ahead and above, and she paused a moment to look up.

Way above her head, a small group of airships were moving through the sky, the lead one firing a dispenser cannon from its nose. Opaline had only a moment to think what they were attacking, when there was a sudden snapping of twigs and a figure barrelled into her.

"Oof!" she cried, being thrown back into a tree trunk. The figure rolled smoothly over and leaped back onto their feet. In an instant they had put an arrow to their bow and pointed it at Opaline's head.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the figure yelled. They were wearing a camoflague shirt and trousers, and a sturdy belt around their waist. "Are you a Cloud Skimmer?"

"A who?" Opaline coughed and stepped back, threatened. "I'm just a wanderer!"

* * *

**North Base HQ...**

Alisia turned to see the bald, bearded god standing behind her holding something in the palm of his hand. "You remember your son Ajani the Mage, and his family? Him, Chandra and the three kids? I thought you might like this to remember them by." He handed her the object and she gazed at it in wonder. It was a silver pendant in the shape of a spiral, her family crest. Along the spiral where five gems of different colours, each representing one member of her kin. A purple amethyst represented her son, Ajani, who had been inherited her powers of magic. Next a red ruby for Chandra, his wife, who had been a flame-loving mage with a passionate heart. Then an emerald, for their youngest daughter who could change the movement of the earth and rock; a perfect sapphire, representing the son, who could tap into the flow of water and use it to his own benefit; and finally, in the very centre of the spiral, a crystal clear diamond. This was to honour Alisia's favourite granddaughter. She had been able to control air and wind, and had been known as an Auramancer. Alisia looked up at Notch with a smile and a tear, and the god simply said "Turn it over."

The demi-god turned the pendant over and read the inscription that flowed with the spiral. "Ajani... Chandra... Thassa... Jace... Opaline." She glanced back at her brother. "Wow... Notch, this is beautiful! Thank you!"

The god of Minecraftia nodded. "We'd hoped you'd like it. Herobrine and Jeb were in on it too. Now off you go, you have a fleet to send out to Condor Pass."

* * *

**Sector 4 woods...**

The figure stepped forward and lowered their bow slightly. In the light, Opaline could see that they were in fact a girl a little older than her, with shoulder length brown hair that came down to small curls around her neck. The girl looked her up and down. "Then who are you and what's your story?"

Opaline gulped, trying to look intimidating. "My name's Opaline. I've been wandering through the world for six years, after I woke up to find my family murdered. Any more questions?"

The figure let the bow point at the ground. "Oh... Sorry. Well, if you're not Cloud Skimmer, I assume you're not SkyBorne?"

"Who?"

The girl's mouth dropped open. "You haven't heard of the SkyBorne Alliance OR the Cloud Skimmer Army? Good grief, you have no idea where you are..."

Opaline frowned. "No, not really..." She looked sideways at the girl. "Who... Who are you then?"

The girl smiled proudly and stuck out a hand. "You can call me Second Commander Spanners!"


	11. Ops 7

**A/N - Hey readers, I've got another chapter for you all! I'm aiming to introduce as many characters at the beginning of the story as possible, and slowly meet some of the groups up throughout the first bit of the story. Then adventurous things happen, and I should point out now THERE WILL BE CHARACTER DEATHS! You have been warned!**

**Anyway, now we have Voltus and Ember (I altered it from ConEmber a little), as well as mentions of Rick, May, and Ninjasoph. You three latter characters will come in properly soon, don't worry. :)**

**Read and review if you like the story or have a suggestion!**

**- AxleMC131**

* * *

**Seven**

**Camp Aros, Western Quarter...**

The skitter plane touched down on the short concrete airfield and rolled to a stop, engine puttering. It taxied up to the nearest building and the engine was cut. Commander Ember's glowing eyes watched from the ground as the pilot climbed down and saluted him.

Ember saluted back. "I take it you are Voltus?" he inquired of the pilot.

The newcomer nodded. "Yes sir. I was sent to aid your fleet I believe?"

"That depends," Ember replied cryptically with a smile. "Are you one of the top-ten pilots in the SkyBorne military, with over twelve years of flight experience and thirty seven recorded kills?" He winked at the pilot, dressed in a black trench coat over his thin chain mail armour. The pilot narrowed his electric blue eyes, then smiled back.

"Yes, yes that would be me." He stuck out a hand to Ember. "Pleasure to be a part of your unit Commander."

Ember shook the hand, his white eyes examining the new pilot. "It's a pleasure to have you. I've heard many great things about you Voltus. Strange how no one seems to know about your past though..." He trailed off and gazed past him to the skitter Voltus had arrived in, missing Voltus stiffening at the mention of 'past'. "Is that your plane? I can't recall ever seeing anything like it before."

Voltus looked over his shoulder, glad Ember had gone off the subject of his history. "Yes sir, it is. I built it myself a few years ago. The engine's a Fandel&Sons Mk V Radial, except that I upgraded the cooling unit. Basically everything else is scratch built. Would you like a tour?" He grinned at the commander.

"Sometime, yes. But unfortunately, we have urgent business we need to discuss."

Voltus raised his eyebrows. "Am I needed on the frontline?"

Ember glanced at him. "I'm afraid so. The reason we were sent you was that our camp here has been the target of some serious Cloud Skimmer assaults recently. We need another skitter pilot for the formation."

The pilot nodded, understanding his task. "When is the next assault due?"

The commander's face lost any humour it still had. "You're gonna hate me for this... In about half an hour."

Voltus stared. "Crap, when were they first spotted!?"

"About noon. They were spotted a few chunks out of Strite, that old farm town? Heading straight for us."

"Damn," Voltus said. "Should I get Havoc here a refuel?"

"Havoc?"

"My plane. I call her Havoc."

Ember nodded. "Okay. Yes, I'll send two of the boys out from the base with a tank 'n' hose." He turned away and spoke into his comm. "Alright everyone, it's time to get set up for this attack. All hands to your aircraft! Rick, the new skitter pilot's arrived, meet him at the airstrip and give him a rundown of the formations. May, Ninjasoph, ready Spirit and Revenge. I want both airships in the air in five minutes, all planes fuelled up and ready to go in ten. Go!" He turned back to Voltus. "Sorry I couldn't give you a tour before you got thrown in to battle. There'll be time afterwards, hopefully." He turned to go.

"Commander," Voltus stopped him. Ember halted looked over his shoulder at the new pilot with his white eyes.

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask something that might be a little personal?"

Ember hesitated, then nodded. "Go ahead."

"Your eyes... You aren't the Ember I've heard about from Herobrine are you?"

Ember grinned. "As a matter of fact I am. I'm his second son, after my brother Soarinrine. Know him?"

"Heard of him. Well, it's a pleasure to be working under a son of the demi-god." He saluted again.

The white-eyed commander grinned. "Pleasure to have you with us Voltus." Two soldiers came out of the nearest hangar, tugging a trolley with a fuel tank on it. "Looks like your juice is here. Give 'em a hand, then ready Havoc. We'll need every aircraft in the sky, from what I've heard of this fleet." He turned and strode towards the small, stubby control tower.

Voltus watched him go. He was glad he had avoided the question of his past again, and he was confident it wouldn't be asked of him again. Turning to the men with the fuel trolley, the pilot led them to Havoc and set them about the task of filling up her tanks.


	12. Ops 8

**A/N - And sure, have another chapter while I remember. Introducing the half-cat human hybrid Cliffdiver (Kae), and Dark the ex-assassin. To all you guys who have had your OCs mentioned now, I really hope I've done it right!**

**Anyway, as always read and review if you enjoy the story or have a suggestion!**

**- AxleMC131**

* * *

**Eight**

**Ash District, Ostamina City...**

The two figures stared at each other down the length of the alleyway. Ostamina was the largest city within the SkyBorne Alliance, and there were many grimy backstreets where the war had not reached. Rather, they had their own wars. The area was known as the Ash District, a place of darkness and criminal activity. Prostitutes, drug dealers, black market salesmen, anything immoral, illicit or illegal could be found in this area. And frequently private bloody battles went on within the shadows, typically caused by gang rivalry or double dealing. So these two people were very out of place in the Ash District.

Dark was an ex-assassin, after his guild had been wiped out by an undercover Cloud Skimmer movement. He had been trying to survive by his own skills for the last month, but he had run into this... person. He wasn't even sure it was completely human, for it had pointed ears, whiskers, and seemed a little too furry. He frowned, holding his diamond knife in front of him defensively. His assailant was wielding two one-handed diamond swords, and he wasn't keen on tackling that kind of weaponry without surprise on his side.

Kae stared at the man, her ears twitching at the sound of his breathing. She had no idea who he was or what he wanted, but having crashed into him whilst running down the alley, she had drawn her weapons instinctively. The feline part of her watched the person's every movement intently, following him as his knife swayed from uncertainty. Kae couldn't blame him; for a person to suddenly run into a girl who was half-cat, thanks to some cruel military movement, she expected him to be surprised and unsure.

The sound of a yell from down the alley broke the silence. Dark looked at the figure, then opened his mouth. "Who are you?" he asked quietly. "And... What are you?"

Kae stiffened, settling for her cover name. "Name's Cliffdiver, and that's all you're getting to know buddy. Now what the hell do you want?"

The assassin's eyes widened. She was a female, but she seemed pretty tough. "Well, I can assure you I mean you no harm. My name is Dark." He bowed ever so slightly, keeping his brown eyes locked on the girl's bright yellow ones. "Are you from the Ash District? Because I don't think I've seen you around..."

Kae narrowed her eyes. After a long pause, she finally decided to tell a little of the truth. "No, I'm not from around here. I'm in hiding as of a few years back."

Dark cocked his head to one side. "From who?"

"Never you mind."

With a frown, Dark lowered his knife. Kae lowered her swords. "So, Cliffdiver..." he said. "Alliance?"

"None," she responded hotly. "You?"

Dark hesitated. "None."

Kae looked Dark up and down, taking in his completely black outfit; jeans, shirt, hoodie and gloves. "You're an assassin, aren't you?" Her brother had long ago told her about the dangers of the Ash District, before she was taken away and he ran for his life. But after she escaped, she had decided it was the last place her kidnappers would look for her.

"Yeah. I am. Or was rather." Dark felt like he could be slightly more open to this girl now. He spun suddenly as he heard the yell again, followed by the faint sound of a bow twanging. There was a second shout, this one closer and more audible.

"There bett'r not be any man down Bennie's Alley! Cos I can 'ear talking..."

Dark froze. "Shit! It's Bennie! He runs the dealer down this street, and he detests anyone walking down it without his permission."

Kae looked over Dark's shoulder. "Dealer, as in drug dealer?"

"Yeah. He runs a pretty big shop down here..." He stared at Kae, and whispered, "Cliffdiver, have you ever been in the Ash District before?"

"No... Not really..."

Dark cursed under his breath. "Then you'll have to follow me. We have to get out of here!"

Kae frowned and stepped back. "Why should I trust you? I can survive on my own fine thanks."

Dark grabbed her arm. This girl was a lunatic, coming into the Ash District with little prior knowledge of it, and her level of stubbornness? "I beg to differ," the assassin responded hastily, as they heard another yelp of pain from round the corner of the alley. "If Bennie or anyone else sees you around here, you'll be dead before you can blink."

Kae stared. This Bennie guy sounded bad... But surely she could stand up to him? Then again, Dark sounded pretty trustworthy for an assassin... She sighed and pulled her arm away from Dark. "Alright, I'll come with you. But no funny business!" She pointed at his head with the tip of one sword. "Now, which way do we run?"


	13. Intermission and Character Rundown

**So, while I'm introducing so many characters at once, I decided I'd do a little Character Rundown List, so you guys don't have to strain your memories or reread old chapters several times over. So, without further ado here is the list of characters so far, organized into their respective areas, as well as their actual ranks. This includes ranks of characters we haven't heard a lot about so far, just saying! So if a name appears suddenly with a strange rank, don't worry! This list will be updated and reposted every several chapters, which will include a change in rank if a character gets a promotion. ;P Yes, characters may get promotions. Oh, and this will also give a little more detail on the locations.**

**Oh yeah, one final thing. Go to Moohickyalah's profile and read her new story The Auramancer (when it comes out). It looks at the backstory of Opaline (who Moohickyalah came up with) and tells her story as a prequel to this. It may contain spoilers though, so she probably won't upload more chapters until this story is well under way. But still, check out her profile if you want to see a little more on Opaline, and also read her stories about her and my Minecraft characters. XD**

**Anyway. Have a read if you want to refresh your memory of the characters so far!**

**- AxleMC131**

* * *

**SBA Outer Defense Unit 4, South quadrant**

Shado - Commander  
Spanners - Second Commander  
Soarin(b)rine - Soldier  
Theros - Soldier  
Avernus - Airship Pilot  
Ashie - Soldier and Trainee Pilot

Opaline

* * *

**North Base HQ, North quadrant**

Notch - Chief Commander of North quadrant  
Herobrine - Chief Commander of South quadrant  
Alisia - Chief Commander of East quadrant

* * *

**Camp Aros, West quadrant**

Voltus - Skitter Pilot  
Ember - Commander  
May - Airship Captain  
Ninjasoph - Airship Captain  
Rick - Skitter Pilot, Formation Leader

**Ash District, Ostamina City, North quadrant**

* * *

Kae (Cliffdiver) - Freelance Warrior  
Dark - Ex-assassin


	14. Ops 9

**A/N - Right, I'm going camping over Labour weekend, so I won't be doing a lot of writing I'm afraid. So, just for you guys I've got an extra-long chapter of 1,500 words!**

**Oh yeah, as someone pointed out my mistake from chapter ten. -_- Camp Aros is actually in the WEST quadrant, not the east quadrant. I'll run back and change that... XD You might as well know, the west quadrant is where most of the Cloud Skimmer attacks happen.**

**As always, read and review if you have a suggestion or enjoy the story!**

**- AxleMC131**

* * *

**Nine**

**Camp Aros...**

In fifteen minutes, the airships were prepared and floating free, barely blocks above the ground, and the tarmac airstrip was ready to launch the small formation of skitter planes arranged at the end of it. Voltus sat in Havoc in pole position, as the lead plane's wingman. Over the noise of Havoc's engine, he heard a siren sound. Assuming this was the 'Enemy approaching' siren, he glanced over at Chief Pilot Rick, in the plane next to him. Rick glanced at him, gave him a nod, then looked back down the length of the runway.

Voltus glanced behind him from the open cockpit. A fleet of six Fandel&Sons Sprite class fighter planes followed him, and behind them were three two-person Archimedes fighter-bombers. Rick beside him was flying a brand new SK-Maverick, a quick and nimble machine armed with four cannons. And then there was Havoc, the custom made skitter with a nine block wingspan, armed with two cannons, two spearguns, and a Bristol-X air-to-air missile between the wheels.

The formation of eleven planes all had their engines running, ready to take off at a moment's notice. Voltus turned his attention to a soldier who had just appeared out of the hangar and run in front of them, holding two large, orange paddles. He held them outwards in a 'Get ready' way.

"Skitter pilots, you may execute your pre-flight tests." Commander Ember's voice came through the comm. Making sure his safety restraint was properly clicked into place, Voltus switched his comm to test the broadcasting.

"Rick, you hear me?"

The response crackled through the earphones. "Yeah, I hear ya Volt. Ready to fly?"

"Heck yes." The pilot grinned. He looked over his shoulder at Havoc's double rudders, and wiggled the joystick. The rudders twisted in compliance. Check. He then did the same check for the wing flaps. Check. The engine in front of him was running smoothly, and the gun panel showed all systems clean and cool.

"Voltus, all controls green and ready to fly." He spoke into the comm. His message was copied by the other pilots.

"Rick, all controls green and ready to fly." The leader signalled the all clear shortly after, and Ember's voice came through again.

"Right Pilots, to recap. The force approaching consists of three medium airships and an escort of eight planes, mostly two person by the looks. The airships are slow but heavily armed, it may pay to stay high and avoid their fire. Try and take out the escort planes before targeting the ships. You are clear to take off!"

The man before the planes dropped the paddles to his sides, and the planes all gunned their engines. As yet their brakes were still engaged, but that was to change when the man raised the paddles again.

Voltus' eyes stayed focused on the runway ahead of him. Him, Rick and the two Sprites behind him were going up first.

The engines revved, straining the wheel brakes.

The paddles went up and the man ran off to the side of the runway.

Voltus let go of the brake lever and let Havoc roll forwards, quickly accelerating down the length of the concrete. He watched the speedometer with the corner of his eye, waiting for the plane to reach take off speed.

80 kilometres per hour... 100... 120... 150...

Nearing the end of the runway now, Voltus smoothly pulled back on the joystick, tilting the elevator flaps on the tailplane upwards. With a slight screech and a roar, the front wheel and then the back wheels lifted off the ground and Havoc angled gracefully upwards, over the trees and into the sky.

* * *

**SBA Outer Defence Unit 4B...**

Soarinbrine leaped up over a fallen log and ran up a small rise, exposing himself to the air briefly. Pausing for just a moment, he drew back an arrow on his enchanted bow, sighted onto the nearest Cloud Skimmer airship and let fly. A new arrow appeared out of nowhere in Soarin's hand, courtesy of the Infinity enchantment.

The flaming arrow whistled angrily away and struck the airship just below the gun deck. The flames lashed around the wood, catching and spreading slowly over the hull, but a figure appeared over the side with a sheet. They flapped it at the fire and extinguished it, but when they looked to where the arrow had come from, Soarinbrine had vanished again.

Without warning, a second arrow, this one longer and more slender and not on fire, struck the figure in the shoulder. They yelped in pain and drew back, dropping the sheet which folded and plummeted to the ground, still smoking.

Soarin glanced around and made for where this second arrow had come from. He knew who it belonged to, and had decided to meet up with her briefly.

* * *

"Mind if I ask a request of you?"

Opaline glanced down to the girl called Spanners, who was fitting another arrow to her longbow. "Uh, yeah, I guess."

Spanners nodded at her. "I just noticed you have a bow yourself." She gestured to the shortbow strapped to Opaline's back. "Want to give us a hand?"

Opaline frowned. "Um, sure. Who are you fighting anyway?"

Spanners heaved the bow upwards and aimed between the trees. "Well, seeing as you don't know anything, I'll try and explain it from the start." Sighting for just a second, she released the bowstring and the arrow shot off into the sky. "I am a soldier in the SkyBorne Alliance, who control this territory for dozens of biomes. We cover several kingdoms and cities, who live together in harmony. Follow me," she added, making as if to run back into the woods. Opaline quickly ran after her, again using her semi-flight power to catch up with Spanners, who was actually an incredibly fast freerunner.

"Several years ago," Spanners continued as she ran, "a group of airships who recognized themselves as Cloud Skimmers entered our territory. We didn't know who they were or where they came from, and when we tried to talk to them they just started attacking us. We destroyed them easily, but ever since then these Cloud Skimmers have been at war with us." Spanners stopped momentarily to duck under a low branch. Opaline followed suit before taking off again. "I come from an outer defence unit called 4B, in the southern quarter of SkyBorne territory. There are three airships attacking us I think, and we only have one to fight back with. Somewhere around here is-"

Again, Opaline heard the sound of twigs snapping and rapid footsteps. "That'll be him now," Spanners amended.

A man burst out of the trees and stopped inches before them. He was wearing a dark green, thin suit, and had a bushy brown moustache on his face. What caught Opaline's attention most was his eyes. They glowed a bright, pure white, and seemed to stare right into her soul. However, the rst of the man's expression seemed perfectly friendly.

"Opaline, this is Soarinbrine, my comrade," Spanners said quickly. "Soarin, this is Opaline. I ran into her in the woods. She has no idea who the Cloud Skimmers _or _the SkyBorne Alliance is!"

The man named Soarinbrine raised his eyebrows. "Oh, a traveller eh missy? Well, if you came to SkyBorne first you'll be in safe hands." He noticed Opaline's bow. "In fact, want to help out and see how we deal with these Cloud Skimmer bastards?"

Opaline pulled her bow off her back and fitted an arrow. "Might as well," she said. "I mean, there's not much else to do, wandering through the woods half your life." She shook her head. "I never guessed I would walk into the middle of an all out war though..."

Spanners patted her on the back. "Don't worry. We can handle them. Just remember, if you see a ship with blue and white flags, don't shoot it!" She started jogging back into the trees, Soarinbrine behind her.

Opaline ran to catch up. "Why not?" she asked.

Soarin looked over his shoulder. "Mainly because that's _our _airship! Toodles!" He grinned and split off from her and Spanners, disappearing into the trees as quickly as he had appeared.

Spanners stopped again and drew back another arrow. "Just follow my lead. How far can you fire?"

Opaline considered. "A fair way. I could probably hit them from here if I tried."

Spanners nodded. "Awesome. Just shoot where I shoot." And she sighted down the arrow, smirked, and let fly.


	15. Intermission, Villains and Exams

**Hey guys, just a little note to say that I'll probably be stopping uploading for a while over the next month. This is because of NCEA exams, which will be deciding my fate for my final year at high school... I'm sorry, but I really need to revise. XD**

**Anyway, this means that I won't have much time for writing so I won't do much uploading (if any) during the exam break. However, I'll try and get one more chapter for each of my stories out before they start. I don't know when that will be as I'm quite busy at the moment already, but I will try for you all!**

**One more thing: I'm requesting three more characters. You can send in one if you already have, I don't mind, I just need them. The criteria is this gonna be tighter though:**

**COMPULSORY**

**Name:  
Gender:  
Appearance:  
Personality: **Must be slightly cruel. The commander needs to be the smartest.

**OPTIONAL**

**_Backstory_****: **I don't actually want a backstory for these characters. They don't need any. If you do send one in it probably won't make an appearance.** NO MORE CHILDREN OF HEROBRINE PLEASE!  
Preferred weapon:** You can get a little more free with maces, hammers, battleaxes, that sort. There's too many swords out there, so please be adventurous!***  
Preferred role: **I need one character to pilot an airship, one to be a soldier, and one to be a commander.**  
Good or evil: **Must be evil! These three people I want are Cloud Skimmers! I've realized I haven't got enough bad people, so I really need to ask you guys for more. For the moment, I should be able to get away with three.

**I would be really grateful if you guys send me these OCs. I want to have a perspective of the Cloud Skimmers, just to mix things up a bit more. If I don't get any, I may have to make some of the good OCs I have into evil characters... And I don't want to do that!**

**Anyway, that's all from me, so until the end of the exam period, I'll say farewell! Please send me some evil OCs and watch for one or two more chapters!**

**- AxleMC131**

* I want all the people who have already sent in OCs to note this too. There are a few too many swords and bows, and I want to see a little more flexibility with preferred weapons. People like Spanners, Soarinbrine, Shado, Kae, who have already had their preferred weapon mentioned, you can skip over this. You don't have to, but if you want to change what weapon your character uses, now's the time! Review and tell me what they use!


	16. Ops 10

**A/N - Right guys, here's your final chapter by the looks of things, at least for about a month. I'm really sorry to hold you guys back, but I'm afraid that these exams are pretty important. So without further ado, I present to you Chapter 10! Read, Enjoy and Review as always!**

**- AxleMC131, out.**

* * *

**Ten**

**Ash District, Ostamina City...**

Dark turned and ran for a nearby fire escape ladder. With a glance over his shoulder at Cliffdiver, he sheathed his knife and began to climb. "C'mon, the safest place is the rooftops."

Kae raised an eyebrow, but followed all the same. Hand over hand, she let her cat agility guide her straight upwards after Dark. Risking a glance back down, she saw a man coming around the corner of the alley. He was a big, well built figure covered in gold jewellery and wielding a heavy looking crossbow. He looked left and right, but before he could look up and see the figures on the ladder, Dark and Kae had reached the top and climbed over onto the shallow-sloped roof. Standing up, Kae looked around at her surroundings.

They were only about two floors up and in the distance she could see taller buildings, marking where the city's central districts were located. Dark turned in the opposite direction, and began to jog up the slate roof. Kae followed him, perfectly balanced, and watched as he leaped over the ridge and slid down the other side of the roof. She reached the ridge herself and saw him already on the next roof. He had stopped to wait for her. "Just slide down, and jump just before you hit the edge!" he instructed, waving a hand.

Kae stood up on the edge of the ridge. Taking a breath, she stepped forwards and began to slide down the roof slates with a clatter. She sped up, keeping her balance by standing and 'skiing' down the slope, and just before she reached the edge she coiled the muscles in her legs and jumped.

The gap between buildings was about five blocks, the next building level with the first. Kae sailed through the air, righting herself as she flew, before her feet hit the next roof. She slid to a short stop and looked at Dark. "How's that?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Impressive, for someone who's never been in the Ash District before." He looked sideways at her. "How come you're so agile?"

Kae locked his gaze. "Never you mind, assassin boy. Now where are we going?"

Dark realized he wasn't getting anything out of her. "We need to get out of the city. Ostamina is no place for two people like us... I think we should keep heading this way until we reach the city walls, and then find our way into the rural areas. We should be safer there."

Kae nodded. "Alright. That sounds sensible. You lead the..." She trailed off.

"What? What is it?" Dark couldn't hear, Kae had far more sensitive ears.

She glanced around in all directions until she saw it; a tiny airship flying no colours was approaching from the east, heading straight towards them. Kae was about to run, but Dark held her still.

"No, wait. I know who that is..." He waved his hands in the air and yelled at the airship. "Anthony! Hey, Anthony, over here!"

Kae glanced at Dark, then at the airship. A man was visible behind the wheel as it approached, waving back. "Who is that?" she asked.

The ex-assassin grinned. "It's Anthony! He was one of the other members of my guild, but I didn't know he'd survived. This is good, this is really good. He can help us get out."

* * *

**SBA Outer Defence Unit 4B...**

A little frustrated that Shado had caught the fire and put it out, Theros fired off another salvo at the nearest airship from Nightfly's forward dispenser. The forward guns were light cannons, firing a two-pound explosive shell. The bore was only fifty millimetres across, but the shells were long and sharp, with a pressure-sensitive charge. The cannon had a reasonable fire rate of fifteen rounds per minute, but in all reality Theros was deliberately aiming off. As long as the others had fallen for the false boiler blowout, his cover was still sound. He had been a bit worried when Shado had told him about the fire, and that he should take "extra care around the airship", but other than a piercing stare that had been all. He breathed a sigh of relief and loaded another shell from the chest beside him, locked it in, and pulled the trigger.

Looking over the cannon, Theros watched as the shell fell short and narrowly missed the airship. He chuckled to himself. Sure, he had to make _some _of his shots count, to keep the others from suspecting, but he could still avoid hitting some of them.

The Cloud Skimmer airships had turned around now, and the formation had broken. Now Ashie would be able to fire from the next room with the broadside weapons, a pair of Serval spearguns. Theros grinned as the ship he had been 'shooting' moved out of arc, and the telltale twang of the spearguns sounded behind him.

Theros was about to slouch back against the wall while he couldn't fire, when suddenly there was a sickening crack and the traitor was greeted by a wall of fire. He yelled in shock, then fumbled for his comm instinctively. "Aver, she's hit! Down in the forward gun room, shell from port to starboard!"

"Shit!" Avernus called back. "What's the damage?"

Calming down, Theros inspected what the shell had done. "Not bad, it went through the thin wall and carried the blast with it. There's a hole on the portside, just above the gun mount."

"What about the starboard?"

Theros was just about to talk when a second projectile, this one from a speargun, crashed through the opposite wall and went straight through Theros' right leg. The heavy javelin struck the harder wood of the floor and embedded itself in it, pinning him to the ground.

"Ahh, fuck!" he yelled out in pain. The half-inch wide spear had gone straight through the muscles in his leg, and the pain was unbearable.

"Theros, what's wrong?!"

Theros gasped at the pain. "Spear. Hit me. Pinned."

He heard Aver inhale in horror. "Shit! Right, Ashie, help Theros, he's hurt. I'm getting us outta here." There was a click as he changed channels. "Spanners, Soarin, we need a distraction!"

Ashie burst in through the doorway and looked in horror at Theros. The man was leaning against the back wall of the room, his legs half crossed, a metre-long spear trapping his right leg to the floor. Red droplets pattered onto the floor from the wound. Theros felt the pain intensify as the Nightfly slewed to the side, a quick turn to avoid fire. He felt sick to his stomach, and waves of pain were encouraging unconsciousness.

"Holy crap, Theros! Hang on, I'm gonna get this out..." Ashie gripped the spear shaft and pulled backwards, grunting as she wrenched it out of the floor; it was wedged incredibly firmly. Theros gasped in pain as she was forced to wiggle it back and forth.

By the time the spear had given way and Theros was freed, he was already unconscious.


End file.
